The French government said Monday it would press ahead with a ban on mobile phones in high schools from the start of the new school year.
In July, France’s parliament approved legislation banning both social media access for children under 15 and mobile phone use in high schools.
But earlier this month, the country’s top court struck down the social media provision, dealing a blow to President Emmanuel Macron, who had championed the measure.
However, the Constitutional Council did not rule on the separate provision banning mobile phone use in high schools.
On Monday, government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said Macron “has decided to promulgate the law” containing the ban on phones, despite the Constitutional Council striking down its flagship provision, a ban on social media for under-15s.
“As a result, the ban on mobile phones in high schools can take effect from the start of the new school year, with a stable, consolidated and statutory legal framework,” she told reporters after a cabinet meeting.
France has already banned children from using mobile phones in colleges, the schools attended between the ages of 11 and 15, and primary schools.
Macron’s office has said the president has no plans to give up on his push to bar children from apps such as TikTok and the government would work on a new draft law.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu will work on a new version of the legislation at the president’s request, Bregeon said.
“The president’s objective is to have a stable legal framework in place by next spring to protect our children and young people,” she added.
Macron is due to step down next spring after serving the maximum two consecutive terms allowed in office.
A growing number of countries are taking steps to restrict social media access amid warnings over its harmful effects on children.
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